Latest news with #cottage
Times
19 hours ago
- Times
Holiday Cottages fiasco cost my 95-year-old mum £1,500
In February my 95-year-old mum and I read a glowing review of Ruth Hansom's restaurant in Bedale, North Yorkshire, and decided it was the perfect place to celebrate my sister's 60th birthday. We looked for a holiday cottage nearby with space for four people. We wanted to make sure everything was on one level due to Mum being frail and my brother-in-law having Huntington's disease. We found the perfect place through the website Gorgeous Cottages and Mum offered to book it on her debit card. She paid £1,499 for a week-long stay in May, which was a lot but we felt it was worth it for a special birthday. We later noticed that the confirmation email came from a company called Original Cottages rather than Gorgeous Cottages. Then in March, Mum caught pneumonia. The medical staff said it was unlikely she would be fit to travel in May. I called Original Cottages to postpone the trip (I have power of attorney for Mum). The agent was polite and said they would move the booking. As the cottage was booked up throughout the summer, we chose a week in November instead to combine celebrations for my birthday. I called the company again to arrange this and it said it would check with the owner. In May I got an email from another company, this time called Holiday Cottages, saying the owner of the accommodation mentioned that I wanted to cancel. I explained that I wished to postpone the trip rather than cancel, but it claimed that the owner would not move the booking. I had the owner's phone number on the booking confirmation, so I called her and she said she had no problem moving the dates and that the booking platform was preventing this. I called Original Cottages again and it suggested that if I cancelled, it could advertise the cottage and if someone else booked it for the same dates, Mum might be able to get her money back. I agreed to this. It then confirmed that the booking was cancelled and said it would let us know if the dates were rebooked. But since then the cottage hasn't shown as available on those dates, so unsurprisingly Mum has not had a penny back. We didn't think to get travel insurance for a UK trip, which in hindsight we should have done, but we cannot believe the callousness of this company. Mum was seriously unwell and dealing with this has been an additional energy-sapping endeavour at a really distressing time. I also feel deeply aggrieved that I don't even know which holiday company I am dealing and address supplied • We nearly missed our daughter's wedding, with no flight compensation Thankfully your mum has been discharged from hospital, but she is still bed-bound. This holiday company was making things much harder than they needed to be for your family at an already stressful time, and I could see why you were so confused to get emails from what appeared to be three different businesses. These three brands are part of the same company, Travel Chapter, which has brought them all under Holiday Cottages to simplify things for its customers. Travel Chapter said: 'We appreciate how this may have caused confusion during the transition. We're working to make this much clearer going forward.' The cancellation policy of the booking would only give you a refund of £140, but Travel Chapter said that in cases like yours, it tries to be fair to both the guest and the homeowner by offering a refund if the dates are rebooked by other customers. But it was impossible for anyone else to book a stay at the cottage when your dates were not shown as available on the website, as had been promised over the phone. Travel Chapter blamed this on a technical issue with the cottage's online calendar. This was hardly your fault and after I stepped in it agreed to refund your mum. Travel Chapter said: 'We're truly sorry for the distress caused and have since issued a full refund. When the booking was cancelled, the property wasn't made available to rebook — something that wasn't the customer's fault and shouldn't have affected them. We fully recognise the impact this had, and we're taking steps to make sure similar situations are handled better in future.' Considering you had spent so much time and energy trying to resolve this, I was disappointed that it didn't offer compensation. You felt let down by the company and said if your mum is in a position to travel again in the future, you will book with the cottage owner directly. On May 6 my wife and I visited our local Land Rover dealership, operated by a company called Group 1, where we agreed to buy a new Range Rover Evoque for £51,000. We were offered a £1,500 dealership contribution, three years' warranty and Land Rover roadside assistance. We collected our car on May 9, which is also the date of registration in its logbook. Then about a week later I noticed a post on social media saying that Land Rover had launched a ten-day offer on May 9 which included a £3,000 dealership contribution, four-year warranty, Land Rover assistance, and four years' free servicing. I emailed the dealership to ask if I qualified for this offer, but I was told that I didn't. I said I was disappointed that, as a longstanding customer who has spent more than £100,000 on new Land Rover cars, I had not been told about this offer. I feel that there were several missed opportunities for the staff to alert me to this deal during the sales process. I asked why I hadn't been told about this deal, but the company won't answer my and address supplied • Repairs to our £16k oven will cost £3.6k — Aga says that's normal Your sales contract was entered into at the point you signed the paperwork and not when you collected the car, which is why you didn't qualify for this special offer. But you were upset that you hadn't been told about the forthcoming deal, which would have saved you more than £3,000. Group 1 Automotive UK said: 'We do appreciate that our customer would have liked to have been informed of the upcoming special offer, but at the time he placed his order, the sales team did not have the details of the future offer. Despite this, we will be seeing if there is a further gesture of goodwill we are able to extend given his long-standing custom.' The company offered to extend your warranty by a year and will provide the car's first service at no cost to you, saving you about £1,300, which you were happy with. You said: 'Without your help I don't think we would have been able to arrive at a satisfactory agreement.' • £1,376,097 — the amount Your Money Matters has saved readers so far this year If you have a money problem you would like Katherine Denham to investigate email yourmoneymatters@ Please include a phone number
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Check out this newly listed Lake District cottage with 'income potential'
A four-bedroom detached cottage in the hamlet of Sunderland, near Cockermouth, is for sale with a guide price of £630,000. The property, located within the Lake District National Park, has been renovated to improve its insulation, with solar panels and air source heat pumps installed. Accommodation extends to around 2,000 square feet, featuring three reception rooms. Sitting room with vaulted ceiling, exposed beams and stone wall, open fire, and French doors opening directly onto the garden (Image: Zoopla) The main sitting room has an exposed stone wall, traditional open fire, vaulted beamed ceiling, and French doors leading to the garden. An open-plan kitchen and dining area is located on the ground floor. Three bedrooms and a family bathroom are found on the first floor. Dining room with traditional features (Image: Zoopla) A second staircase leads from the utility room to a fourth bedroom, which includes a dressing area and ensuite bathroom. The listing says this layout could be "perfect for multi-generational living" or offer "annexe potential." Garden areas are described as "cottage style," with lawns, seating areas, established flower beds, and borders of trees and shrubs. The property is positioned centrally within the hamlet of Sunderland, about eight miles from Cockermouth and eleven miles from Keswick. Kitchen/dining area with adjoining utility room (Image: Zoopla) No onward chain is attached to the sale. The listing states the property could suit a main residence, second home, or holiday cottage, with "income potential." According to the listing, the cottage is "filled with beams, character features and an abundance of flexible use spaces," and is "an opportunity not to be missed" for those seeking a home in this Lake District setting. Interested parties seeking more information, or looking to arrange a viewing, are urged to call David Britton Estates on 01768 257199.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Country diary: Farewell to my old cottage – we had some wild times
Moving day is here, and I find myself staring at the old cottage. She's a scruffy, tumble-down affair – more of the landscape than in it. I'll miss her: the dark oak bones with an ochre skin of clay brick, the handsome burnt headers in bold contrast to the veins of pale lime mortar. A building can still be visited, of course, but a place in a community cannot – and it is this knowledge that strikes me hardest. While I'm fond of my human neighbours, what has brought me real joy here is my sense of belonging, in among the menagerie of seasonal wild visitors. Spring is heralded by the rhythmic tap of courting deathwatch beetles, rapping their mandibles against the wooden beams from which they emerge. Soon after, the knots of hibernating ladybirds about the windows unravel and disperse, crawling over the panes until I open the casements to set them free. Lacewings follow, while outside, sparrows trailing strands of sheep wool from their beaks cram every slipped-tile cranny with nests, which soon throng with the begging of chicks. Summer arrives with a new wave of insects: bumblebees pottering beneath the eaves, wasps streaming to and from their nests in the crooked roof, and masonry bees working tunnels into the soft mortar. Black ants patrol the house for crumbs and, on warm evenings, swarm the outer walls as their new queens take flight, a feast that brings the shrieking swifts swooping low. Cabbage white butterflies pupate in the lobby as the warm days wane, but few survive the parasitic wasp larvae that consume them from within and bubble from their flanks in hideous fashion – a process I observe with grim delight as I consider my caterpillar‑ravaged brassicas. Autumn brings the rodents home, and with them the curious sport of discerning brown rat from yellow-throated mouse as they scrabble in the lath-and-plaster walls. Turning to leave, an old memory surfaces: the memory of a young boy who begged for a bedroom wild with animals and insects, a leaf-litter carpet, and shrubs in place of curtains. Thank you Stream Cottage for bringing me so close. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
Ribs that cook in half the time for an easy cottage meal
Simplicity is key when cooking on vacation, but how to build flavour fast when you're making a summer standby? That's where this recipe from Andrea Buckett's The Essential Cottage Cookbook comes in — these sweet and sticky ribs are ready in half the usual time (hence their name). And below, Buckett shares her recipes for a home-made spice mix and barbecue sauce. But to cut the prep time even more, you can swap in pre-made, ideally with contrasting flavour profiles. 'So if you buy a spicy spice mix, opt for a sweet BBQ sauce or vice versa,' she said. If you're with a bigger group, Buckett said you can scale up the recipe without much fuss. It's as easy as adding another rack or two of ribs, cut into three-rib portions, to the cooking liquid and using two cups of barbecue sauce instead of one. For an effortless side, pair it with a pre-shredded bag of coleslaw with dressing. And while we highly doubt there will be leftovers, Buckett said they make great sandwiches the next day. Simply remove the meat from the bones, mix in some barbecue sauce, and reheat! The following has been reprinted, with permission, from The Essential Cottage Cookbook: Simply Delicious Recipes for Cottages, Cabins, and Wherever Your Travels Take You. Half-Time Ribs The term half-time isn't a nod to football in this case; rather, it signifies that the ribs cook in 'half the time' (or less!) of standard rib recipes. Instead of cooking low and slow in the oven for a couple of hours, these ribs take a quick dip in a delicious simmering bath of beer, soy sauce, and onions. This trick yields less unctuous and fatty but surprisingly tender, flavor-infused ribs. You can do 90 percent of the work at home and enjoy barbecue ribs the first night you arrive at your destination—a bonus when you're on vacation and want to spend time enjoying the outdoors, not tending to a hot oven. Ingredients Two racks pork back ribs (about 2¼ lb/1 kg each) 2 cups beer (about one 16 oz/473 ml can) 1 cup pickle brine ½ cup soy sauce ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 5 cloves garlic, smashed 2 onions, quartered Oil, for grilling 3 tablespoons All-Purpose Spice Blend (see below) 1 cup Lip-Smacking Barbecue Sauce (see below) Preparation 1. to make it: Place the ribs meaty side down, with the ribs curving up toward you. Starting at a short end, draw the point of a sharp knife lengthwise down the center of the ribs, cutting through the thin membrane. Use your fingers to get underneath the first side of the membrane and begin to peel it off. Use a paper towel to grip the membrane to make it easier to remove the rest. Repeat with the other half. Do the same for the second rack of ribs. Cut each rack into three-rib portions. 2. Add the ribs to a large stockpot and cover with the beer, pickle brine, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and onions. Fill with enough water to cover the ribs. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the ribs stand in the pot for 10 minutes. Transfer the ribs to a baking sheet, discarding the cooking liquid, and let cool for 15 minutes. 3. Wrap the cooled ribs in foil and transfer them to a large resealable bag or airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days. 4. to take it: Transport in a cooler and place in the fridge when you arrive. 5. to serve it: Preheat a clean barbecue to medium heat (325–350°F). 6. Brush the ribs with oil and dust with the spice blend. Place the ribs on the barbecue, bone side down, and slather the tops with barbecue sauce. Cook with the lid down for 5 minutes. Turn the ribs over and slather with more sauce. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, keeping a close eye on the ribs so the sugar in the sauce doesn't burn. If they start to burn, move them to indirect heat and keep turning them. After 5 minutes, turn them one last time and baste with more sauce. Once the ribs are warmed through, they are ready to eat. 7. Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. TIP: No pickle brine? Use whatever briny liquid you have on hand. Think olive brine, hot pepper brine, etc. COTTAGE SWAP: Replace the spice blend and barbecue sauce with any store-bought versions you love. Serves 4 All-Purpose Spice Blend It's always nice to have a jar of this all-purpose spice blend on hand. It only takes a couple of minutes to make, and you can use it on almost anything. It saves you from pulling out a bunch of spices every time you want to add a little seasoning to something. Used as a dry rub, it's marvelous on pork, steak, chicken, or fish before grilling. It also adds a great punch of flavor when added to any number of vegetables, again before grilling or roasting. Ingredients 2 tablespoons onion powder 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1 tablespoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground allspice Preparation 1. Add all the spices to a small container with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to combine. 2. Store in a cool, dry area, where it will keep for up to 3 months. Makes about ½ cup Lip-Smacking Barbecue Sauce Barbecue sauce is an easy condiment to whip up. Yes, it uses a bunch of different ingredients, but you can always tweak it to your own taste. This one is punchy and well-rounded: a little sweet and a little tangy, with lots of great additions, like cocoa and allspice, to give it real depth of flavor. It takes no time to make and tastes significantly better than your run-of-the-mill grocery store variety. Ingredients 1 cup ketchup ½ cup water ¼ cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon pepper ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons fancy molasses Preparation 1. In a small pot over medium-low heat, combine the ketchup, water, brown sugar, cocoa, spices, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, and molasses. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce begins to simmer. Turn the temperature down as low as possible, as the sauce will sputter, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. 2. Let cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 1 month. Makes about 2 cups
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Unliveable': Shock price paid for 100-year-old cottage
An 'unliveable' cottage on a tiny block has sold for $1.4m after languishing on the market for 18 months because it can't be knocked down. The crumbling, three-bedroom house on a 240 sqm site is one of the last of its kind in original condition in the Brisbane inner-city suburb of Spring Hill — only a stone's throw from the CBD. Records show the house was built in 1925, which means it can only be renovated, not demolished, and last sold in 1983 for just $60,000. Surrounded by multi-million dollar properties, the house at 24 Gloucester Street was marketed as 'ready to renovate' by selling agents Sam Mayes and Zac Tully of SPACE Property Paddington. Qld's top selling suburbs revealed Mr Tully said the sale price set a new benchmark for the entry-level price of a house in Brisbane's inner-city. 'Unliveable cottage on 240sqm of land and the house cannot be knocked down,' he said. The home had been in the same family for over four decades, and the owners had initially listed the property with price hopes of $1.5m-plus. Architectural historian Marianne Taylor posted the property on her House Detective social media account, saying she would 'definitely buy it' if she had the money. 'This is likely a very old Brisbane home on a beautiful inner-city would also come up a treat with a sympathetic reno!' she wrote. 'I'd love to do some metal detecting in the back yard, as I bet it hasn't been disturbed much since the house was built!'
